Eminem and his Shady Films will co-produce a new documentary about the phenomenon of rabid fans, in collaboration with DIGA Studios and Hill District Media and initially distributed by Paramount/MTV.
Considering that Stan, one of the rapper's most popular songs of his career, tackles the topic of superfans who can often be described as obsessive, it seems only fitting that he helps tackle the subject through the medium of film.
Directed by Steven Leckart, the film will reportedly use Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III) and “the fans who adore him” as the starting point for the “illuminating, edgy and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super-fandom.” . according to Variety.
Production is currently underway under the working title “Stans,” another nod to the 15-time Grammy winner's 2000 hit song, which tells the story of an obsessive and delusional fan named Stanley “Stan” Mitchell (voiced by Eminem). .
In the more than two decades since its release, the song “Stan” reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Ireland.
Eminem, 51, is co-producing a new documentary about superfans, tentatively titled Stans, after his hit 2000 song, which tells the story of an obsessed fan who tries to use his image
In a statement, the rapper's longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and Shady Films' Stuart Parr summarized the upcoming Stans documentary as an “opportunity for us to turn the camera around and ask the audience if they are fans – and in some cases they are.” Fanatic”.
They further revealed that the film will be “a study of the relationship between fan base and artist through the lens of one of Eminem's most captivating songs and one of the world's most important entertainers.”
Stans will attempt to do this by exploring the complex relationship between fame and super-fandom, first using Eminem as one of the test examples.
Leckart comes to production with a slate of acclaimed credits, including writer of What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019), producer of Challenger: The Final Flight (2020), writer and executive producer of the Hulu series Legacy: True Story Of The LA Lakers (2022) and the podcast series Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy (2021-present).
Stan is one of those rare terms that enters the popular lexicon from the musical landscape.
It has been suggested that the song helped establish Stan, a mix of the words stalker and fan, as Internet slang term for an extremely obsessed fan.
Ultimately, “stan” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017 and to Merriam-Webster two years later.
The music video for Eminem's 2000 hit song “Stan” starred Canadian actor Devon Sawa as Stanley “tan” Mitchell, an obsessed fan who begins to imitate Slim Shady's image, including his fashion style and dyed blonde hair
While the song Stan tells the story of an obsessed fan who takes on the image of Slim Shady, the rapper's upcoming film will attempt to take an “illuminating, edgy and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super-fandom.”
Directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, the Stan video is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story, about a man named Stan who wants his idol to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call, but fails to reach Eminem in time
The Stans documentary is scheduled to be released at an unspecified date later this year
In the track and the wildly popular music video, Stanley “Stan” Mitchell writes several letters to Eminem in which, in two verses, he begins to show an obsession towards the rapper, which rises to frustration and anger when he receives no response.
Canadian actor Devon Sawa, who plays the obsessed fan, also begins to imitate Slim Shady's image, including his fashion style and his dyed blonde hair.
Directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, the video is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story, in which Stan wants his idol to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call, but due to unfortunate circumstances, the letters don't reach Eminem in time.
Believing he has been ignored, Stan uses a tape recorder to record himself driving down a rain-soaked highway while his girlfriend is locked in the trunk, which he does with the intention of driving off a bridge, which is ultimately her fate.
The Stans documentary is scheduled to be released at an unspecified date later this year.